1011 



His discovery of the long inequalities in tlie raooD's aiotion, caused 

 by the action of Ven-as. is one of the most important that has ever 

 been maJe in the lunar theory ; the calculations, however, have not 

 yet appeared in a complete form. 



Benjamin Collins Brodiz,. Esq., 



I am most happy to present you a Royal 3Iedal for your investi- 

 gations ' On the Chemical Nature of AVax." Independent of the 

 important addition to our knowledge of the true nature of wax. AJr. 

 Brodie has succeeded in discovering two new alcohols of the fatty 

 acids — Cerotin and ^lelissin. These bodies stand in the same rela- 

 tion to cerotic and melissic acids, that wood-spirit and alcohol do to 

 formic and acetic acid. 



The addition of a new alcohol to our knowledge has been pro- 

 nounced by Dumas a contribution to the department of organic 

 chemistry as important as that of a new metal is to inorganic che- 

 niistiy; l3oth serving as starting-points for future researches. 



Professor Quain, 



I have much pleasure in presenting you. in charge for Professor 

 Graham, a Royal Medal for his papers ' On the Motion of Gases.' 

 Mr. Graham's researches have disclosed the existence of a hitherto 

 unobserved property in gaseous bodies: they relate to the Aoav of 

 gases and vapours through very long capillary tubes, into a vacuous 

 or partially vacuous space ; the rapidity of morion varies in the dif- 

 ferent gases, but the rate of motion has not as yet been found con- 

 nected with any other physical property, A new series of constants 

 of high interest have been obtained by these investigations. 



Colonel Sabine. 



I have now the gratification of presenting to you the Rumford 

 Medal to transmit to M. Arago^ whose long and brilliant career, 

 as one of the greatest discoverers of the age in Physical Optics, has 

 excited the admiration of all men of science : — the discoverer of 

 coloured polarization, of rotatory polarization, of the polarization of 

 the sky, and of many other important facts eml^odied ii] modern 

 works on Light. The Medal has been awarded to him for his ' Ex- 

 perimental investigations on Polarized Light," the concluding me- 

 moirs on which were communicated to the Academy of Sciences of 

 Paris during the last two years. 



The President then called upon Air. Christie to read the biogra- 

 phical notices of some of the deceased 3Iembers. which he handed 

 to him. 



Hznri-Marie Ducrotay EE Blainville \^as born at Arques 

 in Normandy. September 12. 1777- of an ancient and respectable 



5"^ 



